My obsession with nail art began when I realized that my regular trips to the nail salon were eating up too much of my fun-tivities budget. I love glossy nails as much as the next person, but not enough to give up things like books or one more drink at happy hour. It also helped that one of my BFFs lived around the corner from a beauty supply store that sold $1 nail polishes in a million colors. While mastering the art of a mani was easy, getting my new, cheap nail polishes to look as fancy as the Essie and OPI bottles hanging out at the nail salon was another story.

I thought I could make up for my third-rate polishes by slapping a pricy top coat on top of my designs. I splurged on OPI’s Top Coat — big mistake! Yes, OPI’s Top Coat is shiny and very protective, but it’s also so thick, it takes approximately one million years to dry. If you’re still perfecting your brush strokes, using this top coat will only call attention to every smudge and ridge in your mani. And if you’re impatient like me between coats of polish on a nail art masterpiece, it can even make your colors bleed together. No matter how much — or how little — top coat I put on my nails or how much time I gave them to dry, it was a disaster. I thought my at-home mani days were over until I discovered Revlon’s Quick-Dry Top Coat.

I was loyal to OPI’s top coat until I tried Revlon’s Quick-Dry Top Coat

What It Is: Revlon’s Quick-Dry Top Coat ($4) is an ultra shiny, quick-drying protective top coat that speeds up the drying process of your mani and keeps your nails chip-free for longer. If you’re trying out any designs, it’ll blend together your color layers without dyeing the brush, which means you can use it over and over again. This polish is seriously good to the last drop — you don’t have to worry about the top coat thickening over time or drying out.

Who Should Use It: Everyone who wants their at-home mani or pedi to look salon-worthy should use this top coat. It turns out the secret to a great mani is a great top coat, not fancy polishes (though those definitely don’t hurt!). This polish is a godsend for ladies with a bathroom cabinet full of cheap nail polishes — it’ll make them look like the most high-end brands. It’s also perfect for anyone who hates sitting around and waiting for their nails to dry. Whenever I wear this top coat, friends and coworkers will always ask me where I got my nails done — it’s that awesome.

When You Should Apply: Apply Revlon’s Quick-Dry Top Coat just as your last coat of color polish is drying. You’ll have glossy nails in seconds.

Why This Is My Beauty Confession: I love this product because it lets impatient, broke ladies have pro-looking nails without the price tag or the waiting. While I’ve since started upgrading my polish collection, I love that this top coat takes all types and makes any of my nail designs look better.

Do you use a top coat? If so, which is your fave? Share with us in the comment section below.